motivation

Question 1

Define motivation.

Answer 1

A dynamic internal state that directs behaviour and is directed towards the satisfaction of needs/desires.

Question 2

How can motivation be both a trait and and a state difference?

Answer 2

It is an individual difference – both as a state and a trait differences (we are more interested in trait – how many people are motivated by power?)

Question 3

Outline Murray’s model of motivation and personality.

Answer 3

Murray – motivation derives from a need, which comes from a discrepancy between a current state and a desired state. The motivation then changes behaviour to achieve these needs – the stronger the need, the stronger the motive, the larger the change in behaviour
There are two types of need – primary and secondary

Question 4

Outline the differences between Primary and Secondary needs in Murray’s model of motivation.

Answer 4

Primary needs - biological e.g food, pain, sex
Secondary needs - derived from psychological needs e.g attention and achievement

Question 5

How many Secondary/Psychogenic needs did Murray outline? Gives some examples.

Answer 5

Murray – outlined 20 Psychogenic Needs (plus 7 provisional needs)
Need for achievement, affiliation, aggression, order etc

Question 6

Outline McClelland’s Acquired Needs Theory of motivation.

Answer 6

Argues we have 3 basic secondary needs
Need for Achievement – desire to master skills, achieve goals
Need for Affiliation – desire to form relationships and be with others
Need for Power – desire to influence and control others

Question 7

How are McCelland’s secondary needs of motivation measured? Why is this an appropriate test?

Answer 7

Measured with Thematic Appreciation Test (TAT) – the test where you tell stories about pictures, stories generated seen as a projection of personality
Projective tests considered appropriate for motivation research due to implicit nature of motives (i.e motives may be muddled, or not accessible to our conscious)

Question 8

Outline Hill’s Subtypes of Motives? How does it differ from other theories?

Answer 8

This theory builds upon McCelland’s 3 secondary needs, but argues that people’s trait preference towards one is driven by 4 motivational subtypes: need for emotional support, need for positive stimulation, need for attention from others, need for social comparison

Question 9

What kind of tasks and work settings do people with High Need for Achievement gravitate towards?

Answer 9

People who are particularly high in Need for Achievement have a preference for tasks of moderate difficulty, that indicate ability.
Preference for work settings with frequent feedback on current vs previous performance

Question 10

Outline Schultheiss’ correlates for Need for Achievement on an individual and societal level.

Answer 10

Individual level
Entrepreneurial success and innovation
Poor leadership and managerial skills

Societal level
Economic growth and innovation
Civil war and ineffective leadership

Question 11

Outline the evidence for the correlations between economic growth and high levels of Need for Achievement on a societal level.

Answer 11

• Bardburn and Berlew – estimated societal levels of ‘need for achievement’ in England 1501-1830 using content analysis of literature
• Estimated economic success by analysing coal imports
• Found that changes in need of achievement – led to changes in coal imports and economic success (not immediately, but after some time)

Question 12

Outline Schultheiss’ correlates for Need for Power on an individual and societal level.

Answer 12

Individual level
Higher testosterone levels
Higher sexual activity and aggression
Managerial, leadership and success

Societal Level
Increase in war
Effective leadership

Question 13

What kind of work do people with High Need for Power gravitate towards?

Answer 13

high need for power attracted to teaching jobs
females with high need for power = larger families and involvement in parenting

Question 14

Outline Spangler and House’s evidence for the link between need for power with effective leadership.
What was controlled for this research?

Answer 14

Used projective methods and analysed the ‘motives’ of previous US Presidents’ by analysing inaugural speeches.
Tested for presidential performance – Motives estimated from previous coding of US Presidents’ inaugural speeches
Found that high need for power was a good predictor of presidential performance (lower in needs for achievement, and affiliation – has to make sacrifices and lose friends)
Controlled for:
reverse causation or bias in coding

Question 15

Outline Schultheiss’ correlates for Need for Affiliation on an individual and societal level.

Answer 15

Individual level
Drawn to people who are similar to them due to conflict avoidance

Social level
Peace and disarmament
Political scandal (too nice to those around)

Question 16

Outline Langer and Winter’s evidence for the link between need for affiliation with solving conflicts.

Answer 16

Explored the correlations between NFA and solving conflicts - importance of concessions to avoid/resolve conflicts.
 Undergraduates responded to letter relating to Cuban Missile Crisis (imagine you are an advisor and you have to respond to this crisi) .
 Letters coded for concessions and Needs.
 Need for Affiliation positively related to concessions.
 Need for Power negatively related to concessions.
o Suggests NFA associated with making concessions as a means to avoid conflict

Question 17

Outline how need for power impacts our health. (Type 1 and Type 2)

Answer 17

Schultheiss
DOMINATE AND CONTROL TYPE
high testosterone - high need for power - engagement in power challenge sit - activation of sns stress response - chronic high blood pressure, lower immune function and increased susceptibility to illness
INFLUENCE AND IMPACT TYPE
preference for guidance and having an influence - less likely to engage in stress response
McCelland - it is only the ‘stressed power motive’ that is associated with poorer health
NFP itself isn’t a vulnerability for illness, rather the motive alongside how it is achieved:

Question 18

How does constant activation of the SNS impact our health?

Answer 18

Associated with
chronic high blood pressure, lower immune function and increased susceptibility to illness

Question 19

Outline McCelland’s evidence for the negative health effects of need for power.

Answer 19

133 male prison inmates participated.
Thematic Apperception Test (4 brief stories). Coded for Need for Power and Need for Affiliation
Number of stressors experienced
Number and severity of illnesses in past 12 months (1-100 per illness)
Saliva sample to measure salivary immunoglobulin-A (S-IgA) as an indicator of immune functioning
High concentration of S-IgA = better immune functioning
Found that NFP associated with more illness and weaker immune functioning

Question 20

Outline how need for affiliation impacts our health.

Answer 20

Schultheiss (2008):
Considered to have opposite effects to need for power in both personality and health.
Associated with parasympathetic activity, and increased immune functioning. (opposite to NFP which is associated with sympathetic system activation)
Generally positive effects on health.

Question 21

How does constant activation of the ANS impact our health?

Answer 21

Activation of ANS associated with energy conservation, immune function, digestion and positive impacts on health

Question 22

Outline McCelland’s evidence for the health effects of need for affiliation and need for power.

Answer 22

132 student participants and tested impacts when ppt were primed with NFA stimuli
Needs measured using TAT before and after watching one of two short films. (either Mother Theresa doc which primed need for affiliation, or a WW2 doc which primed a need for power)
Need for affiliation group primed further in post-film writing task about love and caring.
Measured illnesses experienced that year and levels of S-IgA measured before and after the film.
Results
Found that that NFA group – showed higher levels of S-IgA up to an hour after the film (evidence for protective effects of need for affiliation)
No overall effect of change in need for power group (contradiction to prev literature)
But, identified a sub-group with ‘inhibited power motive syndrome’ (high in need for power; low in need for affiliation; high in inhibition) who did show reduction in SIG-A after WWII film. (only certain groups are sensitive to the vulnerabilities associated with this need)
Also found no link between reactive increase in SIG-A, after watching the film, and number of illnesses experiences (also not what was expected)